People v. Conway

Illinois Supreme Court
Criminal Court
Judicial Bias
Citation
Case Number: 
2023 IL 127670
Decision Date: 
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Holding: 
Appellate court judgment affirmed in part and reversed in part; cause remanded.
Justice: 
CUNNINGHAM

Defendant was found guilty of being an armed habitual criminal and challenged the sufficiency of the evidence on appeal. The appellate court found the evidence was sufficient but reversed and remanded for a new trial due to the trial court’s bias in favor of police testimony. The Supreme Court reversed the appellate court’s finding of bias, noting that the trial court’s comments did not reflect a pro-police bias, but rather reflected a deliberation of the proper factors in its credibility determination and that there was no other evidence in the record indicating that the trial court displayed favoritism for police testimony. (THEIS, OVERSTREET, HOLDER WHITE, ROCHFORD, and O’BRIEN, concurring. NEVILLE took no part in the decision.)